![\"Stafford\"](\"http:\/\/maineracer.com\/images\/stafford.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
(Stafford Springs, CT)—Stafford Speedway was back on track with a
\n5-division NASCAR Whelen All-American Series sharing the track with the
\nNASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event as part of the 21st Annual TSI
\nHarley-Davidson 125 on Friday, May 27th. Keith Rocco scored his second
\nvictory of the season one week after destroying his car in a heat race
\naccident in the 40-lap SK Modified\u00ae feature event, Woody Pitkat picked up
\nhis first win of the 2011 season after starting shotgun on the field in the
\n30-lap Late Model feature, Matt Galko picked up his second feature win of
\nthe season in the 20-lap SK Light Modified feature, George Nocera, Jr.
\npicked up his third win of the 2011 season in the 20-lap Limited Late Model
\nfeature, and Cliff Saunders picked up his first win of 2011 in the 15-lap
\nDARE Stock feature.<\/p>\n
In the 40-lap SK Modified\u00ae feature event, Adam Skowyra brought the yellow
\nout with a spin into the turn 3 wall with one lap complete. Curt Brainard
\nled the first lap and he again took the lead back under green, but Tom
\nBolles was hanging tough to the outside of Brainard. Eric Berndt was
\nstalking the top-2 cars and he nearly got by both Bolles and Brainard on
\nlap-4, but he settled into line behind Brainard.<\/p>\n
Brainard held the lead until lap-8 when Berndt moved to the front of the
\nfield. Bolles continued to hold down third behind Berndt and Brainard, with
\nMark Bakaj fourth, Frank Ruocco fifth, and Keith Rocco sixth. Ruocco was
\nable to get by Bakaj for fourth on lap-11 and Rocco, Glen Reen, and Woody
\nPitkat all got by Bakaj.<\/p>\n
Ted Christopher, who had won the previous two SK Modified\u00ae features at
\nStafford, dropped off the pace on lap-16 and brought his car to pit road.
\nBerndt continued to hold the lead at the halfway point of the race with
\nBrainard in second. Ruocco and Rocco had moved into third and fourth and
\nReen was up to fifth. The order shuffled again on lap-22 as Ruocco, Rocco,
\nReen, Pitkat, and Ryan Preece all got by Brainard, as Brainard fell from
\nsecond back to seventh.<\/p>\n
Pitkat pulled alongside Rocco on lap-24 and they ran side by side for
\nseveral laps before Pitkat fell back into line. Rocco went to the outside
\nof Ruocco and got by for second place on lap-27, and the caution came out
\nwith 27 laps complete for John Montesanto, who came to a stop against the
\nfrontstretch wall.<\/p>\n
Berndt took the lead back under green with Ruocco and Rocco riding side by
\nside for second place. Pitkat and Preece were side by side for fourth
\nbehind Ruocco and Rocco and Reen was by himself in sixth. Reen made a move
\nto the inside of Pitkat on lap-30 and the two cars touched with Pitkat going
\naround to bring the caution back out. Reen was black flagged and sent to
\nthe rear of the field for rough riding.<\/p>\n
Berndt took the lead on the restart with Rocco moving by Ruocco to take over
\nsecond place. Preece was fourth in line with Brainard taking fifth. Ruocco
\nmade a strong move to the inside of Berndt in turn 3 to take over the lead
\non lap-33. The caution came out one lap later for a spin by Bakaj in turn
\n1.
\nRocco again took the lead on the restart with Ruocco moving into second.
\nPreece pulled alongside Berndt and was able to take over third as Berndt
\nfell from second back to fourth. Bakaj spun in turn 4 to bring the caution
\nback out with 37 laps complete.<\/p>\n
Rocco powered to the lead with Preece moving into second and Berndt moved
\ninto third as Ruocco fell from second back to fourth on the restart. Ruocco
\nled the field around for the final 3 laps to take his second feature victory
\nof the 2011 season. Preece finished second, with Berndt, Ruocco, and
\nBrainard rounding out the top-5.<\/p>\n
In the 30-lap Late Model feature event, Scott Cook took the early race lead
\nfrom the pole with Patrick Townsend, John Kasper, Tom Butler, and Corey
\nHutchings making up the top-5. Tom Fearn got past Hutchings for fifth on
\nlap-5, but Hutchings came right back and retook the spot after a side by
\nside duel with Fearn. Mark St. Hilaire was also able to move by Fearn to
\ntake over sixth.<\/p>\n
At lap-10 Cook continued to hold down the lead ahead of Townsend, Kasper,
\nButler, and Hutchings. The running order was still the same with 20-laps
\ncomplete, as Cook was maintaining a lead of several car lengths over
\nTownsend. The car of Kasper dropped off the pace on lap-28 and came to a
\nstop in the backstretch grass to bring the caution out and set up a green
\nwhite checkered finish.<\/p>\n
Cook spun the tires on the restart, but he recovered to charge back into the
\nlead. Butler and Woody Pitkat were locked in a side by side battle for
\nsecond with Townsend and Hutchings side by side for fourth. Coming to the
\nwhite flag, the cars of Tony Lafo, Dillon Moltz, and J.J. Hill spun to bring
\nthe caution back out.<\/p>\n
Cook took the lead on the restart with Woody Pitkat and Butler right behind
\nhim. Pitkat made a three-wide move, but couldn\u2019t complete the pass in turn
\n2. As the cars headed down the backstretch, Pitkat made a move to the
\ninside of Cook to take over the lead as Cook drifted up the track and got
\ninto Butler. The contact with Butler got Cook\u2019s car out of shape and he
\nspun to the grass. Pitkat led the field around for the final lap to take
\nhis first victory of the 2011 season. Townsend came home in second, with
\nHutchings, Jim Mavlouganes, and Adam Gray rounding out the top-5.
\nIn the 20-lap SK Light Modified feature event, Earl Pelletier took the lead
\nat the drop of the green, but Zach Aszklar was hounding Pelletier for the
\nlead. Jay Goff was in third with Cody Gneiting in fourth and Kyle Spencer
\nin fifth. Aszklar got around Pelletier to take the lead on lap-4 and
\nPelletier spun coming out of turn 4 on lap-5, but he was able to get moving
\nand the race stayed under green flag conditions with Aszklar leading Goff
\nand Gneiting. Goff was given a drive through penalty for the contact with
\nPelletier. Bob Charland spun in turn 3+4 to bring the caution out with 11
\nlaps complete and Aszklar still in the lead.<\/p>\n
Aszklar took the lead on the restart with Joey Cipriano pulling alongside
\nSpencer for second. Cipriano made a move by Aszklar to take over the lead
\non lap-13 and Spencer followed him past Aszklar. Cipriano and Spencer
\ntouched in turn 4 on lap-14, which got both cars out of shape and allowed
\nMatt Galko to charge into the lead. Cipriano settled back into second, with
\nAszklar third, Shayne Prucker fourth, and Spencer fifth. Cody Gneiting spun
\nin turns 1+2 to bring the caution out with 14 laps complete.<\/p>\n
Galko took the lead on the restart with Cipriano and Aszklar dueling for
\nsecond. Cipriano and Aszklar touched, which sent Cipriano around in turn 4
\nand Aszklar was given a drive through penalty for the contact. Galko led
\nthe field around for the final 6 circuits to take his second feature victory
\nof the 2011 season. Frank Cardile came home in second, with Prucker,
\nSpencer, and Pelletier rounding out the top-5.<\/p>\n
In the 20-lap Limited Late Model feature event, Cory Casagrande took the
\nearly race lead with Joe Nogiec, Jesse Hinze, Duane Provost, and George
\nNocera, Jr. making up the top-5. Nocera charged through the field to move
\ninto second behind Casagrande, with Hinze, Kevin Gambacorta, and Norm Sears
\nbehind him.<\/p>\n
Bill Davis made hard contact with the turn 3 wall to bring the caution out
\nwith 12 laps complete. Back under green, Nocera took the lead with
\nGambacorta, Shawn Thibeault, and Provost all getting past Casagrande as he
\nfell from the lead back to fifth place.<\/p>\n
Sears moved by Casagrande for fifth several laps after the restart, but it
\nwas all Nocera at the front as he led the final 8 laps to take down his
\nthird win of the year. Gambacorta finished second, with Thibeault, Provost,
\nand Sears rounding out the top-5.<\/p>\n
In the 15-lap DARE Stock feature event, Austin Bessette took the early lead
\nfrom the pole but on the second lap, Johnny Walker and Nick Salva, who were
\ndueling for second and third, spun in turn 2, which collected Albert
\nSaunders and several other cars to bring the caution out.<\/p>\n
Don Wood took the lead on the restart with Vince Gambacorta moving to the
\ninside of Bessette for second. The two cars made contact and Bessette
\nbounced off the wall and then back into the wall with 3 laps complete to
\nbring the caution back out. Gambacorta was black flagged for rough riding.
\nKris Fluckiger spun on the restart after contact with Andrew Marchese, but
\nhe was able to get moving and the race stayed green with Don Wood holding
\nthe race lead over Andrew Hayes and Cliff Saunders. Salva was fourth and
\nKaitlyn Brice was in fifth, getting by the car of Walker. The caution came
\nback out with 7 laps complete for a spin by David Macha.<\/p>\n
Wood again took the lead on the restart with Hayes, Cliff Saunders, Salva,
\nand Brice making up the top-5. The caution came back out with 11 laps
\ncomplete for a spin in turn 2 by Marchese.<\/p>\n
Saunders took the lead on the restart as Wood\u2019s car dropped off the pace.
\nHayes was now second, with Salva, Brice, and Walker making up the top-5.
\nSaunders led the field around for the final 4 laps and he picked up his
\nfirst win of the 2011 season. Hayes came home for second with Salva, Brice,
\nand Walker making up the top-5.<\/p>\n
For more information contact the Stafford Motor Speedway track office at
\n(860) 684-2783, or visit us on the web at www.staffordspeedway.com.
\n###<\/p>\n
SK MODIFIED\u00ae (40)
\n1) Keith Rocco, Meriden
\n2) Ryan Preece, Berlin
\n3) Eric Berndt, Cromwell
\n4) Frank Ruocco, Cheshire
\n5) Curt Brainard, Canton
\n6) Tom Bolles, Ellington
\n7) Glen Reen, Wilbraham, Ma
\n8) Brian Sullivan, South Windsor
\n9) Jeff Malave, Manchester
\n10) Todd Owen, Somers
\n11) Michael Gervais, Jr., Southbury
\n12) Dan Avery, Somers
\n13) Sean Foster, Willington
\n14) Woody Pitkat, Stafford Springs
\n15) Chris Matthews, Stafford
\n16) Mark Bakaj, Lebanon
\n17) Nichole Morgillo, Wallingford
\n18) Heather DesRochers, Granby, Ma
\n19) John Montesanto, North Branford
\n20) Ted Christopher, Plainville
\n21) Adam Skowyra, Brimfield, Ma.<\/p>\n
LATE MODEL (30)
\n1) Woody Pitkat, Stafford Springs
\n2) Patrick Townsend, Springifeld, Ma
\n3) Corey Hutchings, Salem
\n4) Jim Mavlouganes, Bethany
\n5) Adam Gray, Belchertown, Ma
\n6) Ryan Posocco, Stafford Springs
\n7) Mark St. Hilaire, Berlin
\n8) Jim Peterson, Monson, Ma
\n9) Tony Lafo, Higganum
\n10) Tom Butler, Stafford Springs
\n11) Tom Fearn, East Longmeadow, Ma
\n12) Scott Cook, Uncasville
\n13) Dillon Moltz, Waterford
\n14) J.J. Hill, Stafford Springs
\n15) John Kasper, Wilbraham, Ma
\n16) Keith Rocco, Meriden<\/p>\n
SK LIGHT MODIFIED (20)
\n1) Matt Galko, Meriden
\n2) Frank Cardile, Bolton
\n3) Shayne Prucker, Stafford Springs
\n4) Kyle Spencer, Montgomery, Ma
\n5) Earl Pelletier, Wolcott
\n6) Tommy Membrino, Jr., Prospect
\n7) Tony Membrino, Jr., Plantsville
\n8) Harry Wheeler, Stafford Springs
\n9) Stephen Greer, Harwinton
\n10) Dylan Kopec, Palmer, Ma
\n11) Rick Williams, Haddam
\n12) Jay Goff, Stafford Springs
\n13) Cody Gneiting, Broad Brook
\n14) Jesse Ruocco, Cheshire
\n15) Joey Cipriano, III, Waterbury
\n16) Victoria Bergenty, Plainville
\n17) Tony Santangelo, Middlefield
\n18) Robert Charland, Stafford
\n19) Zach Aszklar, Wallingford
\n20) Tony Massaro, Hamden<\/p>\n
LIMITED LATE MODEL (20)
\n1) George Nocera, Jr., Plainville
\n2) Kevin Gambacorta, Ellington
\n3) Shawn Thibeault, Plainville
\n4) Duane Provost, Indian Orchard, Ma
\n5) Norm Sears, Andover
\n6) Cory Casagrande, Stafford Springs
\n7) Dan Flannery, Ellington
\n8) Joe Nogiec, Bristol
\n9) Marshall Usher, Monson, Ma
\n10) Paul Varricchio, Jr., Berlin
\n11) Chris Cook, Pepperell, Ma
\n12) Jesse Hinze, Farmington
\n13) David Burnham, East Hartford
\n14) Bill Davis, Monson, Ma
\n15) Carla Botticello, Manchester<\/p>\n
DARE STOCK (15)
\n1) Cliff Saunders, Stafford
\n2) Andrew Hayes, Charlton, Ma
\n3) Nick Salva, Prospect
\n4) Kaitlyn Brice, Manchester
\n5) Johnny Walker, Ludlow, Ma
\n6) Kris Fluckiger, Enfield
\n7) Donovin Secore, Vernon
\n8) James Carroll, West Hartford
\n9) Kelsey Rottino, Willimantic
\n10) Doug Phelps, Jr., New Salem, Ma
\n11) David Macha, Columbia
\n12) Don Wood, Palmer, Ma
\n13) Andrew Marchese, Tolland
\n14) Vince Gambacorta, Ellington
\n15) Austin Bessette, Stafford Springs
\n16) Kyle Casagrande, Stafford Springs
\n17) Albert Saunders, Stafford
\n18) Josh Wood, Palmer, Ma
\n19) David Arute, Tolland<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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